Death toll hits 104

The death toll from the giant chemical explosions in the Chinese port of Tianjin has reached 104, the Xinhua said yesterday, as area residents were evacuated over fears of cyanide contamination.

A days-long fire intensified at the hazardous goods storage facility with a series of new explosions sending thick black smoke into the air, the official news agency said.

Xinhua said late yesterday the death toll had climbed from 85 to 104, quoting local officials.

According to rescue headquarters, 722 people have been hospitalised, 58 of whom are in a critical or serious condition.

Twenty-one firefighters were among the dead, authorities have said.

The decision to relocate anyone within three kilometres (two miles) of the site came despite official assurances that the disaster had not released dangerous levels of toxic substances into the environment.

However, Xinhua said area residents had been evacuated "in fear of chemical pollutants in the air".

The Beijing News said armed police were carrying out the evacuation after sodium cyanide was found at the site.

Reports have said there could have been as much as 700 tonnes of the substance -- exposure to which can be fatal -- at the site.

China has a dismal industrial safety record and authorities have only released limited information about the accident, a criticism often levelled at Chinese officials in the aftermath of disasters.

Furious victims' relatives railed against officials outside a news conference Saturday for the lack of transparency and information.

"Nobody has told us anything, we're in the dark, there is no news at all," screamed one middle-aged woman, as she was dragged away by security personnel.

More than 360 social media accounts have been shut down or suspended for "spreading rumours" about the blasts, Xinhua reported citing the Cyberspace Administration of China.